What happened to the baby name Osama in the early 2000s?

Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden (1957-2011)
Osama bin Laden

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Osama — which had been rising slowly since the 1970s — saw a steep drop in usage following the turn of the century:

  • 2003: 11 baby boys named Osama
  • 2002: 11 baby boys named Osama
  • 2001: 37 baby boys named Osama
  • 2000: 54 baby boys named Osama
  • 1999: 65 baby boys named Osama
  • 1998: 47 baby boys named Osama

What made the name less popular?

Its association with Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of the militant Islamist terrorist organization al-Qaeda.

In 2001, Al-Qaeda carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks, during which 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners inside the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers in New York City, one was flown into the Pentagon in Virginia, and the final plane — initially aimed at a government building in Washington, D.C. — crash-landed in rural Pennsylvania. The four coordinated attacks killed a total of 2,977 people.

The ensuing search for Osama bin Laden lasted until mid-2011, when he was finally found (and killed) in Pakistan by the U.S. military.

Osama bin Laden (who was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the late 1950s) was named after Usama ibn Zayd, a companion of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. The name Usama/Osama means “lion” in Arabic. (The spelling Usama dropped out of the U.S. baby name data entirely after 2001, notably.)

Sources: Osama bin Laden – Wikipedia, Manhunt for Osama bin Laden – Wikipedia, SSA

Image: Adapted from Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri 2001 by Hamid Mir under CC BY-SA 3.0.

What gave the baby name Alice a boost in the early 1900s?

Alice Roosevelt, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt (in 1902)
Alice Roosevelt (in 1902)

On September 14, 1901, U.S. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt ascended to the presidency following the assassination of William McKinley.

Days later, he moved into the White House with his wife, Edith, and their six children: Alice, Theodore III, Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin.

Seventeen-year-old Alice — the only child born to Roosevelt’s late first wife — was intelligent and photogenic, but also spoiled and rebellious. Dubbed “Princess Alice” by the press, she was in the headlines nearly as often as her father was during his presidency. Her antics included smoking cigarettes in public, driving a car without a chaperone, sneaking alcohol into dry parties, attending (and betting on) horse races, and carrying a pet garter snake (named Emily Spinach) in her purse.

Her father was quoted as saying, “I can be President of the United States, or I can attend to Alice. I can’t do both!”

Three events drew particular attention to Alice:

  • Her debutante ball, which was held in the White House on January 3, 1902.
  • Her travels through Asia, from July to October, 1905. (She accompanied Secretary of War William Howard Taft on a diplomatic trip that featured stops in in Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, and Korea.)
  • Her wedding to Ohio Congressman Nicholas Longworth, which was held in the White House on February 17, 1906.
Alice Roosevelt, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt (as a bride, in 1906)
Alice Roosevelt (in 1906)

Among the things named in honor of Alice were a color (Alice Blue), several songs (e.g., “Alice Roosevelt March“), and hundreds of babies:

  • 1908: 4,270 baby girls named Alice [rank: 9th]
  • 1907: 4,107 baby girls named Alice [rank: 9th]
  • 1906: 4,192 baby girls named Alice [rank: 8th]
  • 1905: 3,610 baby girls named Alice [rank: 10th]
  • 1904: 3,131 baby girls named Alice [rank: 13th]
  • 1903: 2,996 baby girls named Alice [rank: 12th]
  • 1902: 3,135 baby girls named Alice [rank: 10th]
  • 1901: 2,562 baby girls named Alice [rank: 12th]
  • 1900: 3,059 baby girls named Alice [rank: 14th]

The name Alice — already very popular during the first decade of the 20th century — saw distinct increases in usage in 1902, 1905, and 1906.

Dozens of the baby girls named Alice during that period were given the middle name Roosevelt. Some examples…

What are your thoughts on the name Alice?

Sources:

Images from the Library of Congress: Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1902), Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1906)

What gave the baby name Rashaan a boost in 1995?

Football player Rashaan Salaam (1974-2016)
Rashaan Salaam

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Rashaan reached the boys’ top 1,000 for the first and only time in 1995:

  • 1997: 52 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1996: 62 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1995: 140 baby boys named Rashaan [rank: 940th]
  • 1994: 38 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1993: 19 baby boys named Rashaan

What was drawing attention to the name that year?

College football player Rashaan Salaam, who won the Heisman Trophy in December of 1994.

As a junior at the University of Colorado, Salaam (a running back) rushed for 2,055 yards — becoming the fourth player in college football history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season — and scored 24 touchdowns. The Colorado Buffaloes ended up with an overall record of 11–1, placing third in the NCAA rankings.

Salaam forewent his senior year to enter the 1995 NFL draft. After a successful rookie season with the Chicago Bears, his performance declined, and he left the league several years later.

Sadly, after battling with depression (which was fueled by his belief that he’d failed to live up to expectations), Salaam committed suicide in 2016.

What are your thoughts on the name Rashaan?

P.S. Runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1994 was Ki-Jana Carter…

Sources:

Image: Rashaan Salaam trading card

What gave the baby name Joanna a boost in 1984?

James "J.T." Taylor and "Joanna" in the music video for the song "Joanna" (1983)
James “J.T.” Taylor and “Joanna”

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Joanna reached peaked usage — and entered the girls’ top 100 for the first time — in 1984:

  • 1986: 2,227 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 126th]
  • 1985: 2,772 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 99th]
  • 1984: 3,330 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 88th]
  • 1983: 2,120 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 139th]
  • 1982: 1,834 baby girls named Joanna [rank: 161st]

(The spelling Johanna also saw higher usage that year.)

What gave Joanna a boost?

The song “Joanna” by Kool & The Gang.

The R&B love ballad was the second track on the group’s 15th studio album, In The Heart. It was released as a single in November of 1983 and peaked at #2 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in February of 1984.

The music video for “Joanna” featured a motherly woman who worked at a diner:

The video makes more sense when you learn that the song was originally entitled “Dear Mom.” Here’s the story behind the name change, from Jim Bonnefond (co-producer and chief engineer of In The Heart):

When they wrote “Joanna,” they wrote it as a song called “Dear Mom.” And I listened to the song and I liked it, but I couldn’t see how they would be able to work with that title. So I suggested that they pick a girl’s name. I said, “It’s a shame that ‘Rosanna‘ has just been used, but something that has the same flow and sound as ‘Rosanna.'” I stopped short of saying ‘Joanna,’ but somebody figured that out on their own.

(Jim later specified that the band’s trombone player, Clifford Adams, was the one who suggested ‘Joanna.’)

What are your thoughts on the name Joanna?

P.S. James “J.T.” Taylor, who became Kool & The Gang’s lead singer in 1979, added the “J.T.” to his name when people started confusing him with folk-rock singer-songwriter James Taylor.

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of the music video for “Joanna”